Strip sprinkler



Aug. 28, 1956 J. w. NOVAK STRIP SPRINKLER Filed July 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ll'l l MM! l INVENTOR. Jo/2n L/ Nova? Atty.

Aug. 28, 1956 J. w. NOVAK STRIP SPRINKLER Filed July 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7. HIIIH BYM Air S SPRINKLER John W. Novak, Spokane, Wash.

Application July 16, 1954, Serial No. 443,766

1 Claim. (Cl. 299-18) This invention relates to improvements in a strip sprinkler. In the ordinary city home lawn we find many situations where a sprinkler is needed that will cover a relatively narrow strip without spilling over in either direction. For example, the space between the sidewalk and the street is one which needs to be sprinkled without making the sidewalk impassable.

It is the principal purpose of the present invention to provide a simple sprinkler embodying a tubular member with spaced apart slots therein whereby to produce a spray when attached to a source of water under pressure that will substantially uniformly sprinkle a long narrow strip of ground. My invention is embodied in a sprinkler head which is very simple in design and construction and which may be manufactured economically by die casting. The nature and advantages of my invention will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred form of the invention. It should be understood however, that the drawings and description are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the inven tion except insofar as it is limited by the claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a sprinkler embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the sprinkler with the water distribution lines indicated dotted;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the sprinkler shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of the sprinkler but illustrating a slight modification thereof; and

Figure 5 is an end view of the sprinkler looking at it from the opposite end from that shown in Figure 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, my improved sprinkler is constructed by die casting a substantially circular base 1 which has a peripheral flange 2 and which is cut out as indicated by the openings 3 to make it lighter. The base 1 is provided with apertures 4 to receive screws for mounting the base on a larger support if desired. On top of the base an elongated tubular shell 5 is formed. This shell has an open end 6 which is bored and threaded as shown in Figure 3 to receive the usual hose connection, the other end of the shell 5 being closed. The interior 7 of the shell 5 is enlarged slightly toward the open end 6, being about .650 inch at the closed end and .680 inch in diameter at the open end. The only provision made for escape of water from the shell 5 comprises two slots 8 and 9 which are cut down into the shell 5 from the top at an angle of about 30 to 33 degrees to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the interior surface 7 of the shell 5. The angles X and Y, indicated in Figure 3, are made equal. The slots 3 and 9 are very narrow slots, being about .032 inch in width and they extend down the sides of the shell 5 as shown in the drawings, terminating slightly above the horizontal axis of the interior 7 of the shell. I have found that with this construction the water un- V 2,760,817 Patented Aug. 28, 195 6 ice der pressure will escape through the slots 8 and -9 in two fan shaped streams which will intersect along a line Z a short distance above the top of the shell 5. I have found that there is an unbalanced pressure condition when the water flows into the shell 5. By making the slot 8 deeper than the slot 9 by about 20% the uneven water spread due to the unbalanced pressure condition is avoided. When the interior 7 tapers from .650 inch at the closed end to .680 inch at the open end, and the shell thickness is .10 inch, the slot 8 is cut to a depth of .375 inch from the top of the shell and the slot 9 has a depth of .317 inch. The meeting of the two fan shaped streams breaks up the tendency of the water to extend toward the hose end of the sprinkler and toward the closed end of the shell 5. The two fan shaped streams in meeting break up the water into fine droplets and these droplets will spread over a width of two to six feet, depending upon the water pressure.

The water flowing out of the portions of the slots that extend down the sides of the shell 5 must travel farther to meet the intersection line Z than the water which flows out of the top of the shell 5. Peculiarly, the result of this action is to cause the throw of water to the sides to be interfered with just enough by the streams from the two slots meeting, as to provide a substantially uniform pattern with the water being spread quite evenly for several feet on both sides of the sprinkler, the band width being about the same throughout the spread.

The slots 8 and 9 are preferably straight across the shell 5 so that the water is discharged in two flat sheets or planes. As the effect of gravity upon the discharged water is least at the point directly above the shell 5 because the water'at this point has travelled the shortest distance before the two streams meet, the meeting of the two streams of water is most complete at this point. Farther out to the sides the gravity and wind effects increase to reduce the actual amount of collision between the intersecting streams. The slots must be kept open and smooth. They are easy to clean by inserting any smooth strip of metal or the like in case they become clogged or coated. The slots 8 and 9 may be placed closer together or. farther apart. I find, however, that the best results are obtained by placing them at the distance shownin the drawings which is about /2 inch apart at the top of the shell 5. Only the upper half of the interior of the shell needs to be circular in cross section. The sprinkler is particularly convenient to handle because the hose connection 6 extends in the direction of the short spread of the water.

The modification shown in Figure 4 is the same as the main form of the invention with the exception that the slots 8 and 9 are protected against exterior damage by raised ribs 10, 11 and 12 which are set back from the slots so as not to interfere with the water distribution but which protects the slot edges by providing raised portions to prevent objects from reaching the slots so readily.

It is believed that the nature and advantages of my invention will be clear from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A strip sprinkler for lawns, etc., comprising a base adapted to rest on the ground, a raised horizontal tubular shell formed on said base, the shell having its interior surface circular in cross section, and decreasing in diameter from its open end to its closed end, the shell being closed at one end and threaded to couple to a water supply conduit at its other end, the shell having two spaced apart, planar slots therein extending downwardly from the top surface through the downwardly facing interior surface and diverging downwardly at angles of about 30 3 to 33 degrees to a plane midway between them at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the shell, the topexterior surface of the shell having raised transversely eX- tending ribs adjacent to both of said slots, the slot closest the open end being about 20 per cent deeper than the other slot. I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ambrose Mar. 30, 1920 Thompson I an. 4, 1927 Greer Dec. 2, 1930 Richardson Feb. 7, 1933 

